Saudi Arabia is second largest consumer of tea in the Arab World

Over 19 million cups consumed per day
24.5 billion cups of tea are consumed weekly around the world.
Tea trade in KSA is valued at over SR 638 million

Jeddah, KSA, 16 June 2012: A recent study about tea consumption around the world revealed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranks second in the Arab world, behind Egypt, in terms of tea consumption, with over 19 million cups consumed daily.

The study has also shown that over 24.5 billion cups of tea are consumed weekly around the world. Unilever, the world's leading Fast Moving Goods Companies (FMCG) and the manufacturer of Lipton tea, holds the largest market share in the tea industry.

The tea trade in KSA is valued at over SR 638 million, while spending per capita on tea products is estimated to be SR 22-24 per year. This is due to the fact that tea drinking is essential in social meetings in Saudi. It is also considered as a daily habit in the community which regards tea as a healthy drink, making it the second largest liquid consumed in the Kingdom, after water.

"We strongly believe that it is our responsibility to educate the end consumer about the environmental and health benefits of the different types of tea," Said Toufic Elakhrass, Marketing Director of Food and Beverages in Unilever KSA, "The world is witnessing a remarkable development in research on the advantages of tea, and there have been several studies about this industry, which serve both the growers and tea lovers around the world."

Lipton Yellow Label Tea leaves are Theanine- rich, which is an amino acid naturally found in dried tea leaves, while rare in other kinds of food and every cup of tea contains 14-18 mg of Theanine.

Elakhrass concluded: "It is known that Theanine contributes to elevating the mood and clearing the mind. The positive effects of Theanine have been studied at Oxford University in the UK; Nathan Kline Institute in the US, and other world-leading scientific institutions".

It is also proven that Theanine is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, to reduce mental and physical stress. Drinking two to three cups of tea every day can improve intellectual performance, and Theanine plays a major role in that.

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About Unilever:
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with operations in over 100 countries and sales in 180. Consumers buy 170 billion Unilever packs around the world every year, and our products are used over two billion times a day. We have more than 171,000 employees, and generated annual sales of €46.5 billion in 2011.

Working to create a better future every day, we help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others. Our portfolio includes some of the world's best known and most loved brands including twelve €1 billion brands, and global leadership in most categories in which we operate. Our portfolio features iconic brands such as: Lipton, Dove, Vaseline, Sunsilk, Lifebuoy, Signal, Close-Up, Rexona, Axe Lux, Comfort & Knorr.

Unilever's ambition is to double the size of our business, whilst reducing our overall environmental impact (including sourcing, consumer use and disposal). We are also committed to doing what we can to improve health, nutrition and hygiene, with a target to help more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being, as well as sourcing all our agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020. All of these goals are itemised in around 60 time-based commitments in our Unilever Sustainable Living Plan.

Unilever has led the Food Producers sector in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Indexes for 13 consecutive years. We are included in the FTSE4Good Index Series and attained a top environmental score of 5, leading to inclusion in the FTSE4Good Environmental Leaders Europe 40 Index. In 2011 Unilever led the Climate Counts Company Scorecard and was named #1 in the list of Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders according to the latest survey findings from GlobeScan Inc. and SustainAbility Ltd.

For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com.

About Lipton:
Lipton, the world's leading tea brand, is available in more than 180 countries worldwide. With more than 100 years of tasting, buying, and blending expertise, Lipton Tea provides today's health-conscious consumer with a variety of convenient, great-tasting, healthy tea products. In the Middle East, Lipton has a long history and deep roots and has established itself as a market leader in the hot beverage category. The Lipton Jebel Ali tea factory, Unilever's second largest tea factory in the world, is located in Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

For further information & media queries (not to be published), please contact:
Shatha Al Khatib
Corporate Communication
Unilever North Africa Middle East
E: shatha.alkhatib@unilever.com
T: +971561057156

Bashar Kharbat / Malek Abdelrahman
Asda'a Burson-Marsteller
Tel.: +966 2 657 51 95
Email: b.kharbat@asdaa.com / m.rahman@asdaa.com
www.asdaa.com